Chris Hemsworth reveals the heartbreaking reason he took up acting… and admits his choice of career is 'killing' him

Chris Hemsworth has revealed the heartbreaking reason he took up acting and why he believes the career which brought him fame and fortune is slowing 'killing' him.

The Thor star, 40, made the confronting admission in an episode of the Disney+ reality series Limitless, admitting his career choice stems from a difficult childhood.

'If I'm totally honest, I did acting to get my parents out of debt. It could be killing me. When I first started acting, my parents had very little money,' he began.

'Talking to my dad about when he's going to be able to pay the bank off and him saying, "Never, we'll die having to pay it off", that really bothered me from a young age.' 

Despite having a net worth of over AU$220million, Chris admitted he still feels unresolved 'stress' stemming from his troubled upbringing - and said this can affect how he chooses his projects.

Chris Hemsworth (pictured) has revealed the heartbreaking reason he took up acting and why he believes the career which brought him fame and fortune is slowing 'killing' him

Chris Hemsworth (pictured) has revealed the heartbreaking reason he took up acting and why he believes the career which brought him fame and fortune is slowing 'killing' him

'What gives me huge anxiety and evokes stress is when I'm trying to take care of too many things, too many projects.

'I still have these thoughts of like, it's all going to go away if I don't say yes to these things. I can still feel stress eating away at me, and I don't want it to rule my life.'

The National Geographic docuseries Limitless charts Chris' commitment to healthy living as he goes on an epic mission to ensure he lives a long and productive life

The Thor star, 40, made the confronting admission in an episode of the Disney+ reality series Limitless, admitting his career choice stems from a difficult childhood

The Thor star, 40, made the confronting admission in an episode of the Disney+ reality series Limitless, admitting his career choice stems from a difficult childhood

In May, it was reported that Hemsworth was filming the series in 2022 when he found out he is 'between eight and 10 times' likelier to develop Alzheimer's than the general population. 

Shortly after the news was made public the actor took a step back from Hollywood as news reports quickly began to swirl that Chris was retiring, or he had already developed the disease.

'It really kind of p***ed me off because it felt like I had been vulnerable with something personal and shared this,' he told Vanity Fair.

'If I'm totally honest, I did acting to get my parents out of debt. It could be killing me. When I first started acting, my parents had very little money. growing up,' Chris began. Pictured with his brother Liam, and parents Craig and Leonie

'If I'm totally honest, I did acting to get my parents out of debt. It could be killing me. When I first started acting, my parents had very little money. growing up,' Chris began. Pictured with his brother Liam, and parents Craig and Leonie

'No matter how much I said, "This is not a death sentence," the story became that I have dementia and I'm reconsidering life and retiring and so on,' he added.

In a 2023 interview, Hemsworth disclosed he's at higher risk of suffering Alzheimer's disease after filming a confronting episode about death for his Disney+ docuseries Limitless.

After having bloodwork done for the program, he was informed he is 'between eight and 10 times' likelier to develop Alzheimer's than the general population, because he is one of only two to three percent of people with two copies of the gene APOE4. 

Hemsworth lives in a $30million Byron Bay mansion with his wife Elsa Pataky and their three children, daughter India Rose, 12, and twin sons, Sasha and Tristan, 10.

Despite having a net worth of over AU$220million, Chris admitted he still feels unresolved 'stress' stemming from his troubled upbringing - and said this can affect how he chooses his projects

Despite having a net worth of over AU$220million, Chris admitted he still feels unresolved 'stress' stemming from his troubled upbringing - and said this can affect how he chooses his projects